up, up and away!

Addy has discovered the stairs. We never taught her how to climb them but a few weeks ago at church she saw a couple of them and climbed right up, no fear, no hesitation, no "hmm, this is new, let me figure it out" just went right up! Then, at my grandparents house she kept crawling over near the stairs. I told her no and she turned around and came back (what a good girl). Then later that evening she turned to crawl toward the stairs and turned back to look at me. I said, "No." and stood up. She immediately turned toward the stairs and BOOKED IT as fast as she could to try to get there before I got to her! (maybe she isn't so good!).

Then, a couple of days ago I was cleaning upstairs so the door that is usually closed was open. She beelined for the stairs, climbed up two, turned around to look at me (almost fell) and giggled.

Finally, she has discovered the gate blocks the stairs that go to our basement. She likes to stand up at the gate and smile down at the stairs.... (I'm seeing a pattern of a little girl lured by the forbidden fruit...) How old are kids when they MASTER stairs? I have a feeling we've got a long road ahead of us.

Following are some pictures of Addy eating, my mom's favorite type of pictures! She's having meatloaf in one picture, a calzone in two pictures and ice cold water in the final picture. Enjoy!

baby signs

I think this is "More"






All Done! Also known as her "Let me try to scare you with my monster face!!" sign.











This is Addy clapping.











This is Addy scared of her own claps.











I have no idea... but I laughed so hard when I saw this picture I just had to include it!











This is Addy's new flirty face... Its much cuter in real life, honest.









This is Addy sucking her thumb. I don't know why - she doesn't usually suck her thumb. Maybe its the new teeth?











All Done!











Bye Bye!!


We're still showing her "more," "milk," "please," "thank-you," "hungry," & "thirsty" but "all done" and "more" are the only ones she has attempted to sign back at us. They are also the ones we sign most frequently. She's mastered "All Done" and "more" is sketchy... for all I know she's just trying to clap :)

My girl & her pearl

Get your microscopes out kids, on the left hand side of Addy's mouth you can see the beginnings of her first tooth!!! Its been a waiting game for... well.... her entire life as to when this first pearly white would appear but as my old doctor kindly reminded me, "Well, Michelle, its not as if she won't ever have teeth." If she would've realized the realm of foods teeth would open her up to I'm sure she would've popped those suckers out sooner.










Here are some pictures of Addy at a staff birthday lunch for Jeni & Todd C. It was her first balloon discovery which thankfully pacified her after scary Mr. Prince made her cry :)
























































Last, but not least here are the pictures some of you read about on Kathy's blog. Connor & Addy had a great time at dinner the other night. He read her books, they took another stab at playing duets on the Hamstra family piano & he drove her around in the little car we borrowed from him. He's going to be such a good big brother (and soon!).

A New Day, A New Favorite

While these might not be Addy's favorite pictures of herself at the age of 18 I can't help but laugh when I look at them... they capture Addy in her glory... trying new food. And each day she tries something new she seems to develop a new "favorite." Sunday it was broccoli. She's eaten it every day since, raw and cooked. We aren't sure if its really the taste she likes or the texture... but our toothless wonder isn't letting ruffage stop her from moving on in the food world!




Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago of Addy playing in our room. More soon :)

my first pigtails & splash city

Again, thanks to Anna Kate's example we realized that Addy was ready for her first pigtails! After Elizabeth showed me some rubber bands that were good for her thin hair, and how to use them we took the plunge! Unfortunately Addy is learning at an early age that beauty can often mean pain... especially with an inexperienced mom yanking your precious few strands of hair in unusual ways!!




Bathtime has become a new experience for Addy... she has finally learned how to splash! This newfound talent has her running to the bathroom and standing up at the bath tub every chance she gets. I think this is her way of asking for another bath. I think she must miss her GG who gave her a bath every day. She's lucky now to get one every other day!




Unfortunately, while making her way to the bathroom she has disccovered the toilet and the toilet paper... I forsee many messes to come!!

messy monkey

THIS
















PLUS THIS


















MAKES THIS


Using our friend Anna Kate as an example... we are expanding Addy's diet. Since Anna Kate seems to love italian food (Em said she ate a whole peice of pizza the other night!) I thougt that would be a fun one to introduce. I forgot that spaghetti sauce stains!! But, needless to say, Addy LOVED it and I love that she can share what we're eating... though she is getting less and less content with her green beans and peas when she sees mommy & daddy eating anything different.

no christmas card, no new years card, how about an easter card?

Well, I've officially dropped the ball on sending out any type of holiday card... unless of course I send out Easter cards. I'm sure Hallmark is hoping for Easter cards to get really hot but I'm not going to be the one to start the trend... So, enjoy these pictures of Addy in a Christmas hat as an alternative. :)

Addy likes opening and closing her bedroom door. Unfortunately, she often gets stuck behind it.... and if she doesn't get suck behind it she accidentally bangs herself in the head while playing. She's given herself a couple of bruises but nothing she doesn't quickly get over.

I particularly like these pictures because they show Addy's hair in her first official pony tail. I am incapable of putting her hair in those tiny rubber bands without permanently traumatizing Addy so I had my friend Elizabeth do it for me at Lisa's shower. Hopefully, after observing Elizabeth's refined skills I'll be able to do it more often :)